Vulcanizing-press.



No. 658,47I. Patented Sept. 25, |900. F. A. SEIBEHLING A. STRAUS.

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(Application led Dec. 9, 189B.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

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No. 658,47l. Patented Sept. 25, |900.

F. A. SEIBERLING & A. STRAUS. vuLcAmzm PRESS.

(Application med Dec. 9. 1898.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2,.

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' Utta STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK A. SEIBERLING, OF AKRON, OHIO, AND ALEXANDER STRAUS, OF NEW YORK,N. Y.; SAID STRAUS ASSIGNOR TO THE GOODYEAR TIRE AND RUBBER COMPANY, OFAKRON, OHIO.

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SPECIFICATTON formingpart of Letters Patent No. 658,471, dated September25, 1900.

Application filed December 9, 1898. Serial No. 698,745. (No model.)

T0 all ufl/1,0m, t nui/,y concern:

Be it known that we, FRANK A. SEIBER- LING, residing at Akron, in thecounty of Summit and State of Ohio, and ALEXANDER STRAUS, residing atNew York, in the county of New York and State of New York, citizens ofthe United States, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inVulcanizing- Presses, of which the followingr is a specification.

Our invention has relation to improvements in presses for vulcanizingpneumatic tires; and the objects of our invention are to produce a newand improved press of the class designated that shall be simple inconstruction and easily operated, will permit of interchangeable moldsfor different sizes of tires with di'lerent external marks orconfigurations, and in which the interior of the tire will bc chargedduring the process of vulcanization with live steam under pressure, andfinally to hasten the process of vulcani- Zation.

To the aforesaid objects our invention consists in the peculiar andnovel construction, arrangement, and combination of parts hereinafterdescribed, and speciically pointed out in the claims, reference beinghad to the accompanying; drawings, forming a part of this speciiication.

In the drawil'igs, in which similar referencenumerals indicate likeparts in the different views, Figure 1 is a side elevation of ourimproved vulcanizing-press; Fig. 2, a plan of the same; Fig. 3, asection, enlarged, at the line a: :c of Fig. 1, showing the upper faceof the lower mold and annular case with the steam-tube for inflating'the tire; Fig. 4, a scctiomenlarged, at the line y y of Fig. 2; Fig. 5,an enlarged view of the free end of the steaminspirating tube, and Fig.6 an enlarged horizontal section of the flexible joint of thesteam-tube.

Referring to the drawings, 1 is an annular hollow metallic casesupported on legs 2. Extending from one side of this case are arms 3,having semicircular notches 4 t0 form bearings for the opposite case ofthe press, and lugs 5, projecting from its inner periphery and providedwith bolt-holes for attaching `the lower mold. Above this case is asimilar annular hollow case 6, adapted to rest on and register with thecase 1 and provided with similar lugs 7, having bolt-holes for attach--ing opposite molds and having hollow journals 8, adapted to rest in thebearings 4 and internally connected with the case 6, and a handle 28 forraising this case and mold.

The ease 6 is provided with an arm 9 and counterweight-lO, retained by aset-screw to permit the upper case to be easily raised. The cases 1 and6 are locked together by means of links 11, pivoted between lugs 12 onthe lower case 1 and resting between similar lugs on the upper case 6and drawn tight by forked pivoted levers 13, having eccentric ends thatbear on the upper face of the case 6. Each case 1 and 6 is heated bylive steam from pipes 14, that enter the ends of journals 8 throughswivel-joints and by branches 15 to the lowercase 1. The opposite halvesof themolds 16 and 17 are mounted in the cases 1 and G by means of bolts18, passing through the respective lugs 5 and 7 of the correspondinghalves of the molds. These molds are arranged to accurately register bymeans of an annular tongue and groove, as shown in Fig. 4.

In the inner face of the case`1 is a pipe 19, internally connected. withthe case, to which pipe, by means of a swivel-joint 20, a pipe 2l isconnected, provided with a valve 22, a cock 23, and a non-conductinghandle 24 and terminating in a pointed tube 25, having side Vents nearits pointed end,as shown in Fig. 5. The valve 22 operates to open andclose the pipe 21, and the cock 23 has an exhaust-pipe 26, through whichthe steam may escape back from the tire when the vulcanizing process iscompleted. The hollow spaces in the cases l and 6 do not extend entirelyaround them, but are interrupted by a barrier in each at the hinge side,as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2, the object of which is to securemore even distribution of steam about the cases'.

In operation, the cases with the molds in place being open and chargedwith live steam, a prepared unvulcanized tire is placed in the mold, andin this operation the tube 25 is inserted in the valve-stem placed onthe tire for the valve afterward to be inserted, the joint 2O permittingthe pipe 2l and tube to be rocked up for that purpose and brought downwith the tire, and when down the tube rests outside of the molds in ashelf 27 and in oppositely-disposed notches in the molds. The upper case6 is then rocked down and locked to the lower case 1. The valve 22 isthen opened and the cock 23 closed, permitting live steam to enter theinterior of the tire. In a short time, usually about three minutes, thetire, from the combined effect of external and internal heat, iscompletely vulcanized, when the valve 22 is closed and the cock 23opened, the former shutting o the further entrance of live steam and thelatter permitting the steam in the tire to escape through the pipe 26.By hinging the cases together they are readily'opened to permit theplacing and removal of tires and to change the molds when desiredwithout danger of burning the operator or want of time. Thecounterweight 10 constantly overbalances the weight of the case 6, andhence by no accident can the two cases strike together and crush thehands of the operator, as where in the case of those vulcanizers wherethe upper case rises vertically any breaking of the machinery, theconstant tendency is to fall and may result in catching the operatorWhile at work.

We claim as our inventionu 1. In a press for vulcanizing pneumatic tiresthe combination of a fixed annular hollow case, a movable annular hollowcase hinged at one side thereto, tire-forming molds detachably mountedin said cases and arranged to register, clamping devices for lockingsaid cases together and means for introducing and controlling theentrance of live steam into said cases, substantially as shown anddescribed.

2. In a press for vulcanizing pneumatic tires, the combination of twoannular hollow cases, hinged together at one side, tire-forming moldsdetachably connected with said cases and arranged to meet and register,

clamping devices for locking said cases to` gether, means forintroducing and' controlling the entrance of live steam into said cases,and a tube having a flexible joint and arranged to carry live steam intothe interior of a tire in said molds, and means for controlling theentrance of steam in said tube, substantially as shown and described.

3. In a vulcanizer the combination with a fixed annular hollow case anda free annular hollow case hinged to and adapted to register with thefixed case, of pipes to connect with a steam-supply connected with theinteriors of said cases, devices for locking said cases together, moldsarranged to rest in said cases,

a counterweight lo balance the free end of the free case, a pipeflexibly connected with one of said cases having a hollow tube with alateral opening arranged to rest in the tire between said molds, and avalve and an exhaust-cock in said pipe, all constructed and arrangedsubstantially as shown and described.

In testmony that we claim the above we hereunto set our hands.

FRANK A. SEIBERLING. ALEXANDER STRAUS. In presence of- C. P. HUMPHREY,C. E. HUMPHREY.

